“In Canada the Prince of Pot” – A Poem for Marc Emery

This is a poem about my friend Marc Emery, known as the Prince of Pot.

This is written in the format of the famous poem by Coleridge, called “Kubla Khan.”

In Canada the Prince of Pot,
An end to war on herb decreed.
And so with but a business plan,
And fortitude unknown to man,
He sold a milion seeds.

For all these seeds good soil was found:
Some in growrooms underground,
Where in home gardens hidden from prying eyes,
There blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And in great forests, cleverly disguised,
Were planted plots of secret greenery.

But oh! those drug enforcement agents which hunted
all the great green herb and those who love it!
Those savage men! Unholy and demented,
For whose foul crimes can never be repented.
They enforce their law but are above it!

And so these agents, with ceaseless anger seething,
Hating those who practice pot-smoke breathing,
Backed by a state which grants them use of force,
And also an unlimited funding source,
Launched many raids against his Hempire strong,
Took all his seeds and every pipe and bong!
Yet all their busts and raids had come to naught,
For our Pot Prince still reigns despite being caught.

It seems like nothing stops him, not at all!
His businesses and plans proceed apace,
His shops and lounges fill a growing space,
(Despite some issues still with City Hall.)
And every day the Prince hears near and far,
The people’s voices crying out “End the war!”

The inspiration of the Prince
Spread across the desperate land.
Activists worked to convince
Their neighbours they should end the ban.
It was a miracle of human power,
to save the world at its most desperate hour!

A happy weed-filled world of love
In a vision once I saw ;
It was a paradisial place,
A smile shone forth from every face,
Hemp clothed and fed us all.

Let’s end the laws which bind us,
And manifest this dream!
Let the Prince’s work remind us,
That we all must shout and scream!
Cry, “I will help to end this war!
I will make the sacrifice.”
And all who toke must do their part,
And all should cry out “Stop! Stop! Stop!
“You will not take the Prince of Pot!”
Put the hug-power round him thrice,
And let him not in chains be led!
For he the sacred seed has spread,
And shared the herb of paradise.

About Author

Dana Larsen is the author of "Green Buds and Hash" and "Hairy Pothead and the Marijuana Stone" and a well-known Vancouver cannabis activist, businessman and politician.
He served ten years as editor of Cannabis Culture Magazine, is the co-founder of the Vancouver Seed Bank, founder of the Vancouver Dispensary Society, and Vice President of the Canadian Association of Cannabis Dispensaries.
Larsen was a founding member of the BC Marijuana Party and the Canadian Marijuana Party. In 2003 he joined the NDP, running as an NDP candidate in 2008. In 2011, he ran for the Leadership of the BC NDP.
Larsen is also founder and director of Sensible BC, Canada’s largest grassroots cannabis reform organization.

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Comments

1 Comment

Freedom Fighters on
July 22, 2009 3:41 pm

Along time ago we had no rights that today people take so easily for granted, to find a Bong was a treasure because the Law made these simple items contraband and you only had rolling papers and your own creativity. It was people like Marc Emery who is the frontier of these times that people so easily take for granted simply do not think of and the fact that it is possible to go backwards once more and lose what precious freedoms we’ve gained this far.

People like Marc Emery come only once in a rare lifetime to be able to see the world and effectively make changes in areas that help causes and has shown to be an amazing motivator, while sharing us knowledge, enough for us all who sat in our closets in fear of our Government while he taught, “You are not alone, Knowledge is their to defend with real truths”. So people like me and others who want to reach out and help that one person in the crowd to save someone but can’t, won’t or just don’t know how to help that person or even themselves. Marc is that one person, no matter what the criticisms out their may be, The screaming voice coming from the crowd yelling for help that everyone ignores and walks by, Marc reached out and so many others became strengthened and appeared from the crowd ready to help, when just before they stood in apprehension saying to themselves “What can I do?”

It takes that one Leader from the crowd and soon you have the movement but if that one person never steps forward then it becomes the same repetitive sad story of, what can I do and nothing gets done. Marc said I know what to do and now he’s taking the bullet for being on that front line for us and it seems to me to be pretty honorable when the funds that he received went back to our cause and has nothing to his name to show for it but our memories and how we remember him. Sure Marc might have had multiple personal reasons which gave him his push but no one can say they have reached in this country as far as Marc has for changing the many Ignorant peoples minds from old misinformation of lies to the now we know inalienable rights and truths. This Man gave it all away and is possibly about to lose many years and we will look back and see what he sacrificed just to make it so we the people don’t have to hide like we are ashamed and instead yell I am a better person because of Cannabis. I am thankful to Marc Emery who showed me I am not alone and I should not be ashamed but be proud to choose a safer healthier lifestyle from the ones that Society forces upon us by limiting us.

So when Marc does come back, hopefully; someone will stand at the front line trying to make changes on our behalf until that day and see it might take bigger shoes then they ever thought possible.

Sorry to put you way up high on that pedestal Marc but someone has to be up their or there would be no Gandhi or Luther Martin King and you have that job for our cause in this country to help take away the draconian Laws that hold us down and I hope we remember this when he comes back and we may find that after time we have already lost Marc this day forever because prison does change you on the inside and could damage our Leader.

Thanks again Marc for what you are giving up; I hope you know you did reach many and you did take away the frustrations and fears by giving us truer knowledge, a lot of us are no longer alone in our lives thinking maybe society is right and we are bad people. We all now stand a little taller because you gave us weapons of Mass Knowledge and now we can be armed with more truth than the deception imposed on us by our Governments.
Thank you and God bless you, MARC EMERY.

Please give till it hurts if you can and try and make Marcs stay a little less like hell.